Festival Hopes

The Playlist looks at 50 films that might be in contention for appearances during the fall festival circuit. Natalie has three films that get a mention. I think I’d be happy enough if just one of these pans out.

Jackie

Given that Pablo Larrain is one of the best directors we have right now, that we have three movies from him this year can only be a good thing. And after “The Club” and “Neruda,” his English-language debut on “Jackie” couldn’t be more eagerly awaited. Following Jackie Kennedy (Natalie Portman) in the days following the assassination of her husband, it should be a very different kind of biopic, and with filming having begun last December, we can’t imagine this not getting an awards push, though it’s currently without distributor. Larrain has some history at Venice — he was on the jury there three years ago and “Post Mortem” screened there — so there, TIFF or NYFF are all viable.

Planetarium

Young French filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski hasn’t had a home-run yet, but her work’s been very interesting, particularly the distinctive romance “Grand Central,” her second film which starred Lea Seydoux and Tahar Rahim. Her muse Seydoux was unavailable this time, but she’s more than made up for it with star power, as Natalie Portman and Lily-Rose Depp star as two sisters in 1930s France who believe they can commune with the dead. It’s a premise that will either be great or awful, but we’re excited to find out which. Widely expected at Cannes, this should be a Venice bow barring a real surprise.

Weightless/Voyage of Time

Honestly, at this stage we’re sick of putting Terrence Malick’s “Weightless” on anticipated lists, so we really hope it bows in the Fall already. It has no date yet, but is by all accounts finished, with Malick already announcing his next next project. Since it missed Cannes, we can only assume Venice is most likely (where “To The Wonder” played). His documentary “Voyage of Time” is another story, however, with an October 7th release slot, it’s bound to pop up, and most likely at one of the North American festivals if for no other reason than the absence of IMAX screens (the format it’s shot in) in Venice.